Jericho Season 2

[winters860]

Maybe you caught some of season 1 of Jericho. It explored what happened to a small Kansas town after a terrorist attack involving the simultaneous detonation of nuclear bombs in 23 U.S. cities. Pretty crazy stuff.

The first season focused on how the town would cope with its isolation, following the serial drama format. Half-way through the first season, CBS thought it would be a great idea to put the show on hiatus. Predictably, when the show was picked back up in the spring after several months off the air, it had trouble getting its viewership back. CBS cancelled it after a cliffhanger season finale.

What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. In the last episode, the story of Gen. Anthony McAuliffe was told. Gen. McAuliffe was in the French village of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. With the Americans hopelessly outnumbered, the Nazis sent in negotiators. McAuliffe supposedly sent back a one word reply to the German commander: "Nuts!" His Division weathered the siege for the next three days until relief arrived. Jericho fans mounted a massive letter-writing campaign and the CBS offices were flooded with bags of nuts. Jericho got its reprieve, long before the writers' strike.

With Jericho being some of the only new scripted TV this winter, the series may have a chance, but things still look bleak. CBS made seven more episodes. It's important that people watch them.

The first season had a lot of plot threads and by the end was threatened by the possibility that they'd never all be resolved satisfactorily and the series would jump the shark, like Lost or late-phase X-Files. The first season DVD set is out - and it's worth a look. The good far outweighs the bad.

I just watched the first three episodes of the second season, which begins broadcast Tues., Feb. 12.. I'll say without reservation that it's great TV. The plot seems to have found its focus - civilization has returned, in some form. You really don't need to have seen the first season to jump in on the series right now. Some of the less interesting or less believable plot lines have been fixed, eliminated, or put on the back burner. It's as good as most thrillers on the big screen.

Watch the damn show!